Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-10-29
Especial to the Kennebec Journal

cold Estes" or "The Old Spiritualist" as he
is still more fam liarly and irreverently titled,
is a well known down East character. Uncle
Estes is typical spiritualistic type, tall, thin
and wiry, sharp, shrewd face, covered with
a weeks growth of bristly gray beard, and
topped with shaggy head of unkempt iron
grey hair. lie is apparelled in dirty collar,
a seiled shirt, and an old and well worn suit
of broadcloth, while pair of substantial
COW hides, and an old soft felt hat complete
the symmetry of his appearance. He is fond
OF joke, and always looking out for chance
to teach the "true doctrine" which is his mis-
sion on the earth.
The Journal scribe fell in with this unique
character on long stage ride down East,
where bears were plenty, the roads rough, the
night dark, and everything peculiarly adapted
to make discourse on such a subject espec-
tally vivid and impressive. 1t was under
these circumstances that the scribe got the
full history of Uncle Estes life, including his
views on the true doctrine of spirtualism.
esprit, are of different kinds" said Uncle
Estes. There are spirits of seeing. spirits
of hearing and spirits of healing, as we'll as
of all other kinds and dispositions, just as the
natures and characters of men are DIVERSE
Now my wife has the power of seeing. If
she wanted to she could follow me wherever
l have been since left home, and she could
see me now. She could see that am talking
k,t ali hotT
she hasn't the power Of hearing. She also
has power of writing. She can initiate the
writing of anyone che wants to, whe ther dead
or alive; she could initiate the handwriting
OF George Washington, if she wanted to, so
that his most intimate friends couldn't tell
the difference if they were alive. She might
perhaps, be able to write out what am say
ing; her hand might trace the characters, but
she couldn't hear the words.
have the power of healing and teaching
Those two 60 together. You know the Savior,
when he sent away his disciples, directed
them to 20 forth to teach the gospel and to
heal the sick. have been healing now for
thirty years or more, but twas 4 long time
before | knew that was under the influence
of spirits"
"What is spirit, Ell? Why, it is that part
of man which lives after the body is dead
When a man dies his spirit hovers around
this earth forever after, unseen except by
few who have the power and the faith to be-
hold them. They direct the lives of people.
whether they know it or not. 1t was by the
direction of spirits that Vanderbilt has made
his riches, and twas by the direction of
spirits that have lost most Of my properts
and am poor Everyone has guardian spirit,
which directs and fashions his life, whether
he will or no. His character and the conduct
and nature of bis life depend on the peculari-
ties of this guardian spirit"
Then" interposed the scribe, elf the
spirits of the dead ever remain on this earth,
do you believe in heaven and hell?"
"Certainly | do" warmly exclaimed the
paunt expounder of the stadowy doctrine,
warming with his theme. "Heaven and hell
aren't localities but conditions. Heaven isn't
up in the sky, nor hell down under our feet.
If they were, how could men get there !?
They would go shooting off into space in all
directions, as the earth goes spinning round
and never reach their destination after
all Heaven and hell are conditions and
begin with persons as soon as they are able
to know the difference between right and
wrong. If am in prison waiting to be hung
| am in hell. and another man sitting next TO
me suffering in innocence may be in heaven.
1 HTn IN tOrUltnl, Hc Is III sPaCc' h"s 10 WY
difference. Heaven and hell consist in feel
ings. not in localities" "Then how about
destiny?" interrupted the scribe again, ''do
Won believe in free will?" eyes, a man may
nut himself under just the kind of spirit he
wants to. if he wants TO be good he must
belieye in Jesus Christ. He will help him
and put him undor the guardianship OF
good spirit; if he rejects Jesus Christ he Will
be bad. Then again he may serve Christ
without knowing it, and so we find persons
in all moral conditions. But mind, this only
effects the moral nature of man; it doesn't
enect his earthly circumstances. God has
mission for every one, and he fashions his
bodily conditions according to the character
of this mission. So, a man may be good or
had lust as he will, but he cannot fashion MS
earthly circumstances"
"Then do you believe in the bioleI
eyes, believe in it and know lts true
teachings, but most men don't. These min
listers, the most of them, don't know what
thew preach nor what they mean. The true
doctrine il contained in the bible from the
fifth TO the eighth chapters of Matthew. The
rest of the bible is history. Christ reached
the highest round of spiritualism. he was
the most perfect spirituslist that ever lived,
and the nearer we initiate him the nearer we
shall be perfect. He taught just what am
teaching and am teaching it just as he taught
it Some ministers are on the right track
bnt most of them are way of. These mod
ern theologists are in the right track and
will come out right finally, but they haven't
got there yet. They ought to come to me to
have me tell them the true
doctrine. Ministers don't know how
to preach They get up in the pulpit and say
a lot of things which they don't know and
don't understand, and it don't amount to any
thing. 1t don't make any odds about beng
saved whether people go to church or not, but
II depends on how they live and how near
thew initiate Christ. They will come to
understand it after a while"
Closing the abstract portion OF his dis-
course with this emphatic and propheuc DEC
lsration. Uncle Estes then gave the scribe
biz of autobiography.
{" II is nv particular Calling" said he. "to
taach and to heal. | have been at 1t now for
over thirty years. used to heal. but didn't
know where the power came from. nrst
learned of the reality of spirits from nv VIE.
T have had three wives. My first one died.
She was not a medium. My second wife was
medium, and it was from her that l nrst
fonnd out about spirits. was divorced
from her. Then l married my present wife,
and she is a spirituslist also. She is more OF
q medium then | am, that is, she has more
10 do with the spirits. I'm not much or
medium myself, but she's great meu'uui'
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